Baltasar Gracián (1601–1658) was a Spanish prose writer, philosopher, and an active Jesuit. Gracián acquired fame from preaching soon after taking his Jesuit vows. In 1651, he published the fist part of his allegorical novel El Critcón and the second in 1657, and as a result was exiled to Graus. Gracián then penned The Art of Worldly Wisdom, a collection of aphorisms that has maintained popularity since its initial publication. He is regarded as the most prominent and respected writer of the Spanish Baroque literary style, Conceptismo.
Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City on October 11, 1884. The wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she wasn’t satisfied with the traditional role of the first lady, and resolved to show the world the first lady’s importance in American politics by actively promoting human, civil, and women’s rights. Following the death of her husband in 1945, Roosevelt went on to serve as delegate to the United Nations General Assembly, representative to the Commission on Human Rights under Harry S. Truman, and chairwoman of the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women under John F. Kennedy. In addition to her political work, Roosevelt is the author of multiple books on her life and experiences, including This Is My Story, On My Own, and The Moral Basis of Democracy. She died on November 7, 1962.
Emily Post (1872–1960) was an author most famous for writing about etiquette. No stranger to living a lavish lifestyle, Post began writing newspaper articles on architecture and interior design. Her first etiquette book, Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics, and at Home (1922), became a bestseller and has since been modernized. In 1946, Post founded the Emily Post Institute, a school that offers resources and education on proper etiquette. Her other work includes the novels Flight of a Moth and Purple and Fine Linen.